Indonesian Laptop

The arduous part about spotting a bargain desktop replacement laptop is figuring out whether its parts are worth your while. The Gateway NV55S05u ($579.99 list), a budget 15-inch laptop, gets first crack at AMD's newest Fusion APUs (codenamed "Llano"). Though it can't outperform a similar offering from Intel, this laptop can tackle almost any task thrown at it, lasted almost five hours in our battery tests, and is priced to move. Budget-conscious shoppers: This laptop should be on your radar.



Design
Although the laptop's shiny plastic enclosure is a three-year old design, it's bright white hue and flowery decorations is pleasing enough to offset the inexpensive materials. But it's no match for the luxury of the aluminum covers found in the Lenovo IdeaPad V570-1066A9U ($629.99 list, 4 stars) and Asus U56E-BBL5 ($649.99 list, 4 stars). For a desktop replacement, the NV55S05u isn't overly bulky; its 5.6-pound frame is in the same ball park as the 5.5-pound Asus U56E-BBL5 and 5.6-pound HP Pavilion dv6-6013cl ($649.99 list, 4.5 stars). If you need a lighter 15-inch system, the 5.2-pound Samsung RV520-W01 can provide that.
The 15.6-inch screen doesn't really stand out, as its brightness levels and baseline 1,366 by 768 resolution are consistent with its peers. For the ultimate screen experience, you'll have to pay a significant premium for the Dell XPS 15z ($999 direct, 4 stars), whose resolution can scale to 1,920 by 1,080. The typing experience is usually a toss-up in this price range, but Gateway didn't disappoint here. The chiclet-style keys are raised to an ideal height so that it doesn't feel like your fingers are pounding on a hard surface. The Lenovo V570-1066A9U, however, is a better keyboard with curvier keys that takes into account the shape of your fingers. Gateway added a full size numeric keypad, unlike the half-size one found in the Lenovo V570-1066A9U. The mouse buttons aren't quite as soft as those of the Lenovo V570-1066A9U and Asus U56E-BBL5, but the NV55S05u's overall navigating experience lived up to expectations.

Type General Purpose, Media, Value

Processor Name AMD A8-3500M

Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

Processor Speed 1.5 GHz

RAM 6 GB

Weight 5.6 lb

Screen Size 15.6 inches

Screen Size Type Widescreen

Native Resolution 1366 x 768

Graphics Card AMD Radeon HD 6620g

Graphics Memory 512

Storage Capacity (as Tested) 640 GB

Rotation Speed 5400 rpm

Networking Options 802.11n

Primary Optical Drive DVD+R DL

Wireless Display Capability (WiDi) No

WiMax No

Battery Type 48 Whr (Watt hours)

Tech Support 1 year parts and labor.

MobileMark 2007 – Standard Battery Productivity Load (hrs:min) 4:54

MobileMark 2007- Performance score 154

PCMark Vantage 1620

3-D BENCHMARK TESTS - 3DMark06 - 1,024 x 768 - Default 6038

3-D BENCHMARK TESTS - 3DMark06 - Native – 0X/4X 5105

Crysis - Medium quality - 1,024 x 768 - AA/AF=Off/Off 36.7

Crysis - High quality - Native - AA/AF= 0X/4X 10.6

Lost Planet 2 (DX9) - Middle quality - 1,024 x 768- AA/AF=Off/Off 38

Lost Planet 2 (DX9) - High quality - Native - AA/AF= 0X/4X 17.4

MULTIMEDIA TESTS - Handbrake 3:33 min:sec

MULTIMEDIA TESTS - PhotoShop CS5 7:48 min:sec

MULTIMEDIA TESTS - CineBench 11. 1.88